Who comes up with these names?

The other day I was sitting in traffic behind a giant SUV. Who am I kidding? I sit in traffic behind a giant SUV every day. They are officially outnumbering cars on the road in my suburb, second only to silver minivans. But I digress...


The make and model of this particular SUV jumped out at me because of its attempt at drama:



Nissan.
Armada.


Armada? "A fleet of warships?" As in the Spanish Armada?


My brother used to drive a GMC Envoy. Okay, this name is a little much, but it does have a sense of sophistication, like a diplomat would be picked up in one after a summit in The Hague. Dramatic, yes, but at least it makes some sense.


Unlike the Buick Enclave. "An enclosed territory that is culturally distinct from the area that surrounds it." Or, your car that you use to drop your kids off at school. Huh?



I just checked out Nissan's Web site, where they're promoting their new electric car. What a cool concept, but what a weak name. The Nissan Leaf. So, this thing will fall, feather-like, from a tree, come October? I get the environmental reference, but "Leaf" does not get me where I need to go. Leaves remind me of Walt Whitman. Raking. Shade. There has to be a better name that evokes environmentalism. The people at Nissan are breaking new ground with this 100 percent electric car. Let's not make it another Yugo.



I still think Saturday Night Live's Adobe - the little car made out of clay! - has the most appropriate name. "It combines German engineering with Mexican knowhow!"